Clarksville, where I live in Maryland, is not know for its crime rate. In fact, it’s pretty darn safe all said done! Well, then, let me tell you about the little bit of excitement that happened at approx. 5.14pm on Friday.

There I was at the pool, reading a lovely book, when the sounds of police sirens on the road and helicopters in the sky began to become more insistent.

The well-to-do-folk of Clarksville wondered what on earth was disturbing the peace of the Friday afternoon pep rally at the pool (fyi, the pep rally is not actually a peaceful event – it is a godforsaken event that involves LOTS of kids, chanting, music and parents😉 ).

Anyway, as far as we could gather some half-naked man had stolen a car and was making off with it round the streets of Clarksville.

Was this an OJ Simpson type manhunt that would be televised as he sped off down Route 32? How exciting!

Actually, no. It transpired that this was a half-naked drunk teenager who had not stolen a car, but made off in the car his parents had bought him in a bit of a mood. He was later commandeered by pissed off parents and a neighbour who is a cop.

Poolside view of the cop ‘chase’

So, sadly, it was not as dramatic as it sounded, and Clarksville remains one of the safest areas in Maryland!

(I had a top tip for the half-naked teenager: where I was at the pool there were loads of half-naked teenagers so if he was clever he’d have come there!)

Waving politicians

Something I can’t get used to here is the plethora of waving politicians on the roadside as early voting and the Primary approach.

I nearly knocked one dude off his ladder today as he waved madly with his sign to get people’s attention.

Waving dude

I guess it’s a necessary evil, but for some reason it seems on the same level as the insurance companies, cash for gold and pizza and soda for a dollar sign wavers. Just saying!

William, I am curious as to why you think we don’t live in the United States. this area is a combination of rural & suburban areas. We have centuries of farmland next to 40 year old development that coexist somewhat peacefully. We treasure the ability to buy produce from our local farms & the closeness of Washington & Baltimore for sports & culture. Marylanders are so lucky to experience the mountains, ocean and our founding history. Columbia is the center of it, offering access to all of that.